Golfers 'out in droves' as mild December weather hits Ottawa, Gatineau

Mark Tite has golfed for more than four decades, but he's never stepped onto an Ottawa fairwaythis late in the season.

"I thought I'd beat a record last week by playing on the 27th of November," said Tite, who was out playing a round Saturdayat Ottawa's Pine View Golf Course.

"But this is by far the latest in the season that I've ever played. And from what I understand, we might be playing next week as well."

Unseasonably warm temperatures across eastern and southernOntario this fall have extended the golf season into December for the first time in years.

• Up for a round? Golf courses around Hamilton open as mild December rolls on
• Golfers still on Windsor-area fairways thanks to warm December

Sunday's high for Ottawa was 7 C, with the forecast calling for above-zero temperatures for the rest of the week.

At least five courses in Ottawaremain open and for those that have kept the greens and fairways in playable condition, business has been brisk.

About 200 golfers packed Pine View's course on Saturday, vying for fewer-than-normal tee times sincethe sun rises much later and sets much earlier in December thanin the summer, said course owner Don Costello.

Golfers 'coming out in droves'

"I guess it's a question of supply and demand, and there's very little supply at the moment," said Costello. "But we're open and we're entertaining golfers, and they're coming out in droves."

According to ClubExecutive Golf, which arranges golfing excursions around the Ottawa-Gatineauregion, at least four other local golfcoursesremain open:

• Kingsway Park Golf and Country Club
• Champlain Golf Club
• Falcon Ridge Golf Club (both their nine-hole and 18-hole courses)

Golfing in December does pose a few challenges, says Tite. For one, he always keeps a softer "compression"golf ballin his pocket so it stays warm and flies farther.

Tite also says he's been bringing his clubs into the house to keep them from getting too cold. But even if the greens do remain green, golfing in single digit temperatures still isn't the same as teeing off on a balmy summer day.

"You're usually hitting 10-15 yards less," says Tite. "And that's with no wind."